Vol.23 No.6

Original Article

Serum chemokine levels as prognostic markers in patients with early systemic sclerosis: a multicenter, prospective, observational study

Authors

Minoru Hasegawa1 , Yoshihide Asano2 , Hirahito Endo3 , Manabu Fujimoto1 , Daisuke Goto4 , Hironobu Ihn5 , Katsumi Inoue6 , Osamu Ishikawa7 , Yasushi Kawaguchi8 , Masataka Kuwana9 , Fumihide Ogawa10 , Hiroki Takahashi11

  • Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa Ishikawa, 920-8641, Japan
  • Department of Dermatology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
  • Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
  • Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
  • Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery School of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
  • Division of Rehabilitation Science, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan
  • Department of Dermatology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
  • Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
  • Division of Rheumatology Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
  • Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan
  • First Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
  • Department of Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
Received:

8 August 2012

Accepted:

27 October 2012

Published online:

23 November 2012

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Abstract

Objective To assess the utility of serum chemokine levels as a prognostic indicator of disease progression in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with early onset disease.
Methods Seventy Japanese patients with early onset SSc presenting with diffuse skin sclerosis and/or interstitial lung disease were registered in a multicenter, observational study.
Concentrations of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 in serum samples from all patients were measured using cytometric beads array. In 33 patients, chemokine levels were measured each year for 4 years. The ability of baseline chemokine levels to predict changes in clinical features were evaluated statistically by multiple regression analysis.
Results At their first visit, serum levels of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 were significantly elevated in patients with SSc compared with healthy controls. There were significant associations between CCL2 and CXCL8 levels and between CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels in patients.
The initial serum CXCL8 levels were significantly associated with the HAQ-DI at the fourth year while the %VC of baseline tended to be negatively associated with HAQDI at the fourth year. Initial chemokine levels were not associated with other clinical features including skin thickness score and the respiratory function.
Conclusion Serum CXCL8 level may serve as a prognostic indicator of the physical dysfunction in SSc. Further longitudinal studies of larger populations are needed to confirm these findings.

Key words

Chemokine, CXCL8, HAQ, Serum marker, Systemic sclerosis